Golf ball retrieving device



June 28, 1966 P. T. COWARD 3,258,286

GOLF BALL RETRIEVING DEVICE Filed June 25, 1964 United States Patent Ofi ice 3,258,286 Patented June 28, 1966 3,258,286 GOLF BALL RETRIEVING DEVICE Paul T. Coward, 609 Balsam Drive, Knoxville, Tenn. Filed June 25, 1964, Ser. No. 377,962 4 Claims. (Cl. 29419) This invention pertains to an improved device for manually retrieving and dispensing golf balls.

As a general rule when a golf player practices a certain stroke he will hit a number of balls to a limited area. The balls are then retrieved or brought back to be hit again. Normally in practice a caddy is not used. The player himself retrieves the balls one by one, either on the fairway or the green, necessitating tiring stooping and bending.

Many devices are shown in the patent art which eliminate bending and stooping. An object of this invention is to provide a ball retrieving and dispensing device which is easier to use than prior art devices.

Generally speaking prior art golf ball retrievers are of a tube type or similar device having an opening approximately the size of a golf ball. This means that these devices must be placed right over the ball in a rather intricate and frequently time consuming manner. The retrieving device of this invention need only be aimed near the ball since a larger ball-entry surface is provided. In addition it is easier to dispense the balls or empty the device of this invention. My retrieving and dispensing device has the additional advantage that if two balls happen to be in close proximity it will pick them both up in a single motion.

One of the disadvantages of prior art retrieving devices is that most of them are tubular, the tube being only slightly larger in diameter than the diameter of a golf ball. The device of this invention has a bottom portion with an opening therein sufiiciently large so that more than one golf ball, preferably three or four may pass therethrough at once. This larger ball-holding container can be elliptical, round, hexagonal, square or rectangular in cross-section. In other words this invention is concerned with a hat-box-shaped ball-holding container with its bottom portion open.

This invention encompasses improved ball receiving and retaining means. At least one coil spring, preferably two or three depending on the size of the opening, are attached across the bottom opening to opposite sides of the bottom portion. The coil spring, or springs, is so spaced from the side of the container, or from another spring, that balls may be forced into the container on either side of the spring in its stretched position. The balls are retained within the ball-holding container by the spring in its normal position.

The advantages and various embodiments of the invention can perhaps best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the retriever of the invention, showing the receiving and retaining springs;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation showing the receiving and retaining frame latch release means;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the device shown in FIG. 1 illustrated in its applied position; and

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are perspective views of two other embodiments of the invention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows golf ball retrieving and dispensing device 2 of the manually portable and manually operable type. The device has a handle 4 extending upwardly from the top thereof, and a box-like ball holding container 6 having a rectangular cross sections. This rectangle is wide enough for three golf balls or more side by side.

Ball receiving and retaining means are shown in FIGS.

1 and 2. The means includes a frame 10 which is, or can be, detached from ball holding container 6. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 3, the frame is attached to one side of the bottom portion of container 6 by hinge 12, and it is adapted to be secured by latch 16 and pin 14 on the side opposite the hinge. To release frame 10 to empty container 6, the frame opens as shown in FIG. 2. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3 a wire 8 terminates in a loop 9 which can be pulled to move latch 16 off of pin 14. When this is done frame 10 drops into the position shown in FIG. 2. If desired, for a better fit, the latch can be spring loaded in its closed position. It would snap down when Wire 8 were released, and frame 10 would hang from container 6 at one side by hinge 12 as shown in FIG. 2.

Receiving and retaining frame 10 has coil springs 18 and 20 secured in the form of an X at opposite corners of said frame 10. The springs are fairly tightly attached so that in their normal position the balls 23 are retained within the ball-holding container thereby. When the ball retrieving device is pushed over a golf ball the ball is forced into container 6 with spring 18 or 20 in its stretched position. As the stretched position passes over the ball it moves back to its normal position to hold the ball in the container.

The embodiment shown in first three figures is designed for a greater than normal number of balls. Springs 18 and 20 are crossed for added strength. In addition the ball opening spanned by springs 18 and 20 is slightly smaller than container 6 thereby providing a ledge 21 which takes up part of the ball weight. The opening in frarne 10 in its longest dimension is equal to about three to four times the diameter of a golf ball. Its shortest dimension is equal to about two or three times the diameter of a golf ball.

A top view of the device of FIG. 1 is shown in -FIG. 3.

It can have a removable lid, be sealed closed, the balls being dispensed or withdrawn through the bottom, or be left open. In this view it can be seen how the balls 23 rest on ledge 2'1.

It is obvious while a rectangular device is preferred a container 30 having an elliptical cross-section as shown in FIG. 4 can be used. In this device it is not necessary to have crossed springs. Here springs 32 and 34 are merely, under very slight tension, stretched across the opening in its frame 36.

The device shown in FIGS. 1-3 is adapted to hold fifty to eighty balls. When a smaller lighter device is desired, for, say, twelve to twenty balls, the cubical device of FIG. 5 will be used. Frame 36 has a much smaller ledge, the opening therein being about the same in crosssectional dimensions as container 38. Here again it is necessary merely to attach spring 40 and 4-2 across the opening.

Operation of the device will be apparent from the drawings. A ball anywhere within frame 10 will pass therethrough pushing the spring and balls above it out of the way. Several advantages of the invention will be understood from the embodiments illustrated. In addition, it is understood that changes in construction details can be made. Thus rather than a detachable frame, the container can have a removable lid. In addition a single spring assembly or one with three springs can be made. Further the ball-holding container can be any shape from prismatic to cylindrical so long as it is about two balls wide or wider. Such ramifications are within the scope of this invention.

What. I claim is:

1. The ball retrieving and dispensing device of the manually portable and manually operable type comprising a box-like ball holding container open at its bottom end and having a cross-section whose longest dimension is over three times the diameter of a golf ball, a handle attached to said container and extending upwardly therefrom, a frame of the same cross sectional dimensions as the container, but having an opening therein whose longest dimension is about three times the diameter of a golf ball, pivotally attached to the open bottom end of the container so that it can be opened and closed, a pair of spaced apart coil springs attached across said frame opening and hence across the container Open bottom when said frame is latched, the two springs so spaced that balls may be forced into the container on either side of the spring in its stretched position but which are retained within the container by the spring in its normal position, latching means securing said frame to said container bottom, and means within the handle adapted to release the latching means holding the frame across the container open bottom.

2. The ball retrieving and dispensing device of claim 1 wherein the box-like ball holding container has an oval cross-section, and wherein an oval frame is pivotally attached to the open bottom end of the container so that it can be opened and closed.

3. The ball retrieving and dispensing device of claim 1 wherein the box-like ball holding container has a round cross-section, and wherein a round frame is pivotally attached to the open bottom end of the container so that it can be opened and closed.

4. The ball retrieving and dispensing device of claim 1 wherein the box-like ball holding container has a rectangular cross-section, wherein a rectangular frame is pivotally attached to the open bottom end of the container so that it can be opened and closed, and wherein the pair of spaced apart coil springs are attached across said frame from corner to corner forming an X across the frame.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 698,226 3/1902 Roberts 294-19 704,848 7/1902 Minton 29419 2,540,857 2/1951 Bagley 294-19 FOREIGN PATENTS 24,322 11/1901 Great Britain.

HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Examiner.

A. GRANT, Assistant Examiner. 

1. THE BALL RETRIEVING AND DISPENSING DEVICE OF THE MANUALLY PORTABLE AND MANUALLY OPERABLE TYPE COMPRISING A BOX-LIKE BALL HOLDING A CONTAINER OPEN AT ITS BOTTOM END AND HAVING A CROSS-SECTION WHOSE LONGEST DIMENSION IS OVER THREE TIMES THE DIAMETER OF A GOLF BALL, A HANDLE ATTACHED TO SAID CONTAINER AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY THEREFROM, A FRAME OF THE SAME CROSS SECTIONAL DIMENSIONS AS THE CONTAINER, BUT HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN WHOSE LONGEST DIMENSION IS ABOUT THREE TIMES THE DIAMETER OF A GOLF BALL, PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO THE OPEN BOTTOM END OF THE CONTAINER SO THAT IT CAN BE OPENED AND CLOSED, A PAIR OF SPACED APART COIL SPRINGS ATTACHED ACROSS SAID FRAME OPENING AND HENCE ACROSS THE CONTAINER OPEN BOTTOM WHEN SAID FRAME IS LATCHED, THE TWO SPRINGS SO SPACED THAT BALLS MAY BE FORCED INTO THE CONTAINER ON EITHER SIDE OF THE SPRING IN ITS STRETCHED POSITION BUT WHICH ARE RETAINED WITHIN THE CONTAINER BY THE SPRING IN ITS NORMAL POSITION, LATCHING MEANS SECURING SAID FRAME TO SAID CONTAINER BOTTOM, AND MEANS WITHIN THE HANDLE ADAPTED TO RELEASE THE LATCHING MEANS HOLDING THE FRAME ACROSS THE CONTAINER OPEN BOTTOM. 